Never in your right mind would you complete a job for a customer NOT expecting to hear from them again. Do you agree? I hope you said ‘YES!’
Either you want them to call again and request a new job or you’d love them to bring in a referral, their trusted friend and family. So, if your intention is to build long term loyalty with your customers, you better start treating them RIGHT from the start. Want to know how?
From the first sales enquiry right through to sealing the deal and every interaction afterwards, your friendly and results-driven help (where nothing’s too hard) is going to make sales happen for you. And, if you’re not known for your happy-go lucky charm, here’s something to make you feel good about being helpful: you’re going to be charging for that happy, friendly time. Surely that’ll make you smile!
So, let’s take a look at the 7 easy steps to building long term loyal customers…starting with the absolute and most fundamental of them all…
1. Change your attitude
Yes, you did hear me correctly. You can’t tell me that at times you are very ‘vacant’ when you answer the phone, you’re a little short with a customer because they keep asking you questions and quite simply you’re having a bad day… well, let me remind you that your customer really doesn’t care!
They just want a friendly, helpful tradie to do their job right and enjoy a pleasant and professional experience, leaving them with a slightly lighter wallet but a smile on their face that they ‘made the right decision by calling YOU’.
Remember: Happy and helpful ALWAYS, regardless of what’s going on in your life. Your customer will thank you for it by returning. Happy days!
2. Build rapport and remain ‘likeable’ at all times
It is important to make friendly conversation with your customer with the intention of making them feel comfortable in your company and ‘like you’. Yes, that’s right, you want them to say ‘he/she was a really nice person’.
Why? Because we all like ‘doing business’ and hence handing over money to someone that we like.
Not to mention being happy to have that ‘likeable’ person back in your home.
Just be sure to always keep the conversation professional.
3. Be responsive. Be fast.
Always call them back as fast as you can, preferably on the same day. And… If you ever get an inbound website enquiry, call them RIGHT AWAY! You’ll blow their little socks off!
In this era where immediate service is almost a standard expectation, nothing short of ‘now’ will cut it for most customers. Do your very best to provide the service they are expecting.
4. Manage your customer’s expectations from the start
Communicate. Be transparent. Be open and approachable. Ensure you are very clear with the job at hand, what you are going to do, how long it will take, what the cost will be and WHY it is important to complete.
5. Always be upfront
If you sell a complex service then always be upfront about what you’re doing and what THEY need to do for the project to go full speed ahead. A successful project always goes both ways. This should be documented so that the agreement is clear for all parties involved. Then everyone’s on the same page.
6. Go the extra mile
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you have, you can always add value to what you do. For example; you could give them tips on how to reduce their water bill. Your brain is and endless source of trade specific information that is highly valuable to your customers; something that most tradies take for granted. Your customer, however, might think it’s such an amazing tip that they’ll share it with their friends.
7. Keep in regular contact
Depending on your industry and what you sell, why not call them a few weeks after they’ve bought from you to see how they’re going? Get in the habit of setting reminders in your calendar to check customers in 3, 6, 9 & 12 months. Rather than being a nuisance, they’ll love the fact that you checked in and you’ll probably get more work from it. Our leading hand Stew, even has customer’s birthday’s in his phone and gives them a call on their birthday!
Always treat your customers the RIGHT way and you’ll have long term customers (and hence income $$) for LIFE!
Are you doing this in your business?
What’s next?
- Join our Kick-Ass Tradies Facebook Group, for access to trade business specific conversations, tips and resources, plus a like-minded community of tradies.
- Book a 15-minute Game Plan Call with Andy, owner of Dr. DRiP plumbing and co-founder of Lifestyle Tradie, to clarify your priorities and get clear action steps.
